


Choicest Week!

by OneNightInBangCock



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Choicest Week, Fluff, Incest, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Role Reversal, Roleswap, Saeran being Saeran
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-11-15 21:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11239701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneNightInBangCock/pseuds/OneNightInBangCock
Summary: My collection of Choicest week fics!





	1. Partners In Crime

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I know these are on my NSFW account, but like hell I'm posting this shit on my regular account.  
> Anyway... Choicest! This isn't exactly my OTP to end all OTPs, but it's one that I'm interested in. That's enough of a reason to participate in Choicest week, right?  
> This one follows the prompt "Partners In Crime," but that doesn't really come up until the end; most of this chapter involves the stuff leading up to their team-up, however.

“Saeyoung. What the hell is that thing.” Saeran said flatly.

It was difficult for Saeyoung to decipher Saeran’s tone when he spoke neutrally; in this case, it either meant “I don’t know what’s going on but I’m willing to try it out,” or “you’re a crazy bastard and I wish I was adopted so I wouldn’t have to share genes with you.” Based on the way Saeran eyed the machine Saeyoung was holding, he leaned towards the latter. 

“It’s a robot dog, Saeran!” Saeyoung grinned and held it out to his brother. Saeran stared at him like he was handing him a bag of garbage.

“Why?” Saeran asked suspiciously.

“Welllll,” Saeyoung drew out the last word, mulling over how he can explain himself without getting punched by his adorable but kinda scary twin brother. “I figured you’d get bored of being cooped up in the bunker all day, and since I had some metal scraps lying around the workbench, I made you this little guy!”

He didn’t mention how he spent the last four days working on it; with Saeran, some things were better left implied.

Saeran scowled. “I don’t get bored.” He said defensively, crossing his arms. “I don’t need a hunk of metal to keep me company.”

Despite Saeran’s words, Saeyoung noticed how his eyes flickered towards the robot with a look of cautious interest. He fought back a grin. _Bingo._

“Aw, too bad.” Saeyoung said, feigning sadness. “It’s okay, Sae, I get what you mean. Since you don’t want it, I guess I can—”

“W-what?!” Saeran stammered. “Hey, wait a minute! I didn’t say I didn’t want it, you moron! Give me that!”

He grabbed the robot from Saeyoung’s arms and ran off, but not before Saeyoung saw the blush on his face.

Saeyoung gave himself a mental high-five.

* * *

 

“I’m going to kill your brother.” Vanderwood said in complete seriousness.

If Vanderwood had been anyone else, he would’ve been dead before he even finished his sentence; as it were, Saeyoung merely blinked and looked up from his bag of Honey Buddha Chips. He tried speaking through the chips in his mouth, but since it only came out as intelligible gibberish, he swallowed and tried again.

“What’d he do?” Saeyoung asked.

Judging by the glare Vanderwood gave him, that wasn’t the question he wanted to hear.

“Oh, nothing.” Vanderwood said drily. “He just took apart my mop so he could play fetch with his damn dog.”

Saeyoung stared at him blankly. “Huh?”

Vanderwood’s eye twitched. “What part of that sentence didn’t you understand? Look, I know you’re not familiar with the concept of a mop, but _some people_ use it to clean.”

Despite Vanderwood’s accusations, Saeyoung knew enough about cleaning to know why Vanderwood would be so pissed.

“Oh, so _that’s_ why the bunker’s messier than usual.” He said simply.

Vanderwood’s eye twitched again. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by MC’s head poking out of the kitchen.

“I hate to say it, but I’m with Vandy on this one,” MC said. “Saeran’s dog has been stealing my shoes for the past five days. Don’t get me wrong, it was kinda funny the first time, but now it’s getting pretty annoying.”

Saeyoung gasped. “MC! You’re betraying me?!” He exclaimed, clutching his chest.

Now, MC was the type of person to roll with the punches; it was part of the reason they were a great comedy duo, and with their powers combined, they were able to pull hilarious pranks on the rest of the RFA members. That being said, MC’s only response to his dramatics was a sheepish shrug.

“I mean, I was two minutes late for an appointment with Jumin.” She said. “I didn’t get into _trouble_ , but he kept on giving me these dirty looks—you know which ones I’m talking about, right?”

“Umm, depends. Was it his ‘I’m very disappointed in you, young man’ look, or his ‘the saints know what you did last night’ look?”

MC shook her head. “It was more like his ‘I saw what you did last night and I’m judging you very heavily right now’ look.”

“Whoa, that bad?” Saeyoung grimaced. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it.”

“You?” Vanderwood snorted. “Please, you go easy on him as soon as he gives you puppy-dog eyes. How’re you going to make him stop?”

Saeyoung smiled mysteriously. “I have my ways.”

* * *

 

 “Saeran, we need to have a talk.”

Saeran looked up. He was on his bed, lying on his stomach in front of his robot dog, who yipped in an obviously electronic voice. Saeyoung’s heart almost melted at the cuteness, but he sternly reminded himself that he had a duty to perform.

“What?” Saeran asked. He didn’t sound _friendly_ , but he didn’t sound murderous either, so at least their conversation was off to a good start.  

“I heard your dog was causing mischief.” Saeyoung said.

Saeran didn’t say anything for a moment, looking like a kid caught with his hands in the Honey Buddha Chip jar.

“... No, he didn’t.” He finally responded, shifting his eyes to the side.

“ _Saeran._ ” Saeyoung said in his best stern voice. “Did you reprogram your dog to perform that type of behavior?”

There was another pause.

“... Maybe.” Saeran admitted sullenly.

“Was that the only change you made?”

“None of your business.”

“ _Saeran._ ” Saeyoung said again.

“ _Fine_.” Saeran huffed. “ _Maybe_ I reprogrammed him to act more like a normal dog. Seriously Saeyoung, why the hell was he able to breathe fire?”

“Hey, it was a good idea at the—” Saeyoung paused. “Wait, never mind. Why’d you do that in the first place?”

Saeran’s only response was more silence.

Then...

“… maybeI’vealwayswantedtohaveadogoracatorwhatever.”

It took a moment for Saeyoung to understand what Saeran mumbled; when he finally managed to piece it together, he was pretty sure his heart actually melted for real.

“Saeraaaaaaan!” Saeyoung cried as he practically pounced on his twin. Saeran responded by shrieking and flailing his arms.

“G-get off me, idiot!” Saeran successfully shook Saeyoung off him, his face as red as his hair. “Was that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Nope!” Saeyoung replied cheerfully. “I wanted to know how you did it!”

Saeran blinked. “... What?”

Saeyoung leaned in closer, a mischievous smile on his face. “If you’re willing to accept my proposal, I have a few pranks I’d like to try…”

* * *

 

For the next few days, MC wondered why her socks kept disappearing.

At her next meeting with Jumin (which she was fortunately on time for), he suspiciously asked if she knew anything about robotic dogs being sent through the mail.

“... What?” MC asked.

“A package with an unknown address was sent to my office,” Jumin said. “It contained a robotic dog that blew confetti out of its mouth and played… odd songs when you cranked its tail. I presume that you don’t know anything about it?”

MC laughed nervously.

“Nope. Nothing whatsoever.” 


	2. Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Temptation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN CHOO-CHOO.  
> Also, this is a work of fiction. This does not reflect my views on incestuous relationships IRL.

Saeran was tempting, in more ways than one.

No, no, that wasn’t fair for Saeyoung to say. Saeran _was_ tempting, but he didn’t do it on purpose—it was entirely Saeyoung’s fault for observing his actions so closely, for allowing himself to become attracted to his own _brother._

The way Saeran looked when he was half-asleep, the way his skinny jeans clung to his behind, the way he licked at his ice cream, the way he nibbled his pretty lips, the way he twirled his red hair… everything about Saeran seemed to turn Saeyoung on, and he _hated_ it.

Didn’t he ruin Saeran’s life enough? Why did he have this perverted attraction towards his twin, like he was some kind of filthy predator? His beautiful, proud, intelligent, fierce, fragile, lonely Saeran… he deserved someone who was so much better than Saeyoung, someone who wasn’t his disgusting, sinful brother.

Saeyoung believed all that. He really, truly did.

But he was a weak man.

One morning, he woke up in his bed with his brother in his arms. Saeran’s head was pressed against his chest with an almost angelic expression on his face, his red hair forming a bloody halo on the pillow. Saeyoung smiled slightly, but it quickly turned into a frown.

Saeran was naked. They both were.

Saeyoung recalled the night before. There had been no liquor or drugs involved—only loneliness and the bitter desire to do something _right_ for once, to make Saeran smile like he did when they were children.

He succeeded, hadn’t he? God help him, he remembered the beautiful expression on Saeran’s face when he orgasmed—it was a look of pure bliss, like he had finally reached the pinnacle of euphoria. He still had that gorgeous smile on when Saeyoung pulled out, didn’t he? Yes, yes, he did—and oh, didn’t Saeyoung’s heart glow at the sight, feeling as though he’d finally accomplished his reason for living?

Yes. May God strike him down, he’d felt that.

Saeyoung wanted to vomit.

                                               

* * *

 

“God _fucking_ dammit, Saeyoung! Listen to me!”

The sound of his twin yelling brought up memories of when he was rescued from Mint Eye, and Saeyoung wished he’d let Saeran kill him that one day they fought. It would’ve be a fitting punishment for him to have been killed by the person he wanted to protect the most, someone who didn’t deserve to have a weak, pathetic, cowardly pervert for a brother.

“Saeyoung, what the fuck are you saying?!”

Saeyoung blinked slowly. Did he really say that out loud?

“Yes, you fucking idiot!” Saeran grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, his eyes wild. “Christ, no wonder you’re not listening to me—you can’t even listen to _yourself_ speak!”

“… Sorry.” Saeyoung mumbled, looking down at the floor. He felt empty.

_For God’s sake, Saeran, run. I need you to protect yourself from me…_

He heard Saeran take a few deep breaths, and he smiled slightly despite himself; it was nice that Saeran was trying to use breathing techniques to calm down. It was a good sign of recovery.

“Okay,” Saeran said, his voice strained. “I’m gonna say something, okay? And you’re going to listen to me, and you’re _not_ going to interrupt, got it?”

Saeyoung nodded numbly. Saeran took another deep breath before he finally started to speak.

“Look, Saeyoung. I’m fucked up. You’re fucked up. Our entire _lives_ are fucked up. That’s why I don’t give a shit if you want to fuck me, or whatever—it’s not like we can fuck ourselves up more than we already are. I know you have some weird fantasy about me still being an innocent little kid, but that’s not true—that’s not who I am! That fucking kid died a long time ago, Saeyoung, got it?”

Saeyoung blinked and finally looked up. Saeran paced back and forth, but his voice was strong.

“And yeah, I’m not mature, I’ll give you that. But I’m not fucking _innocent,_ alright? Those are two entirely different things! I was in a damn cult, Saeyoung! I hurt a shit ton of people, and if you hadn’t dragged me out of there, I’d probably still be hurting people—because I _liked_ it!”

Saeran turned to Saeyoung, a desperate look on his pretty face.

“So, you can quit babbling about how you don’t wanna ‘corrupt’ me. I already _was_ corrupted, okay? If you don’t want to have sex anymore, that’s fine! I don’t care! But don’t you fucking _dare_ say that you violated me, or that I didn’t understand what was going on, because none of those things are true, you fucking _idiot!_ I wanted to have sex with you! I don’t know why, but give me a week or two and I’ll think of _something!_ ”

Saeran finally stopped speaking, panting with excursion. It was silent.

Saeyoung had no idea how he felt—he didn’t feel _happy_ , no, but he didn’t feel sad either. Maybe he felt… relieved? He didn’t like that Saeran felt like he was fucked up, but he was glad that Saeran didn’t hate him for last night.

He didn’t know what kind of relationship he wanted with Saeran—more importantly, he didn’t know what kind of relationship _Saeran_ wanted. They would have to talk about it much later (and god, the idea of the Choi twins _communicating_ with each other made him want to laugh).

Now, though…

“Saeran… can I hug you?”

As soon as the words left Saeyoung’s mouth, a pair of skinny arms wrapped around him. Their owner sniffled, but it was clear he was trying not to cry.

“I-idiot. You don’t have to ask something like that.”


	3. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it's time for some fluff! I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the amount of folks who like this fic! Thanks, guys!  
> Also, this is the last fic I had prepared for this week. Fear not, I'll try to do at least one more!

“What do you dream of, Saeran?”

Saeran glanced up at his twin with wide yellow eyes. Saeyoung sat on Saeran’s bed with his legs dangling off the side of the mattress, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“What do you mean?” Saeran asked, curious.

“What’s the first thing you wanna do when we get out of here?” Saeyoung said, as if it was the simplest question in the world.

However, it wasn’t easy for Saeran to answer. His brow crinkled as he thought it over.

“I dunno.” Saeran said. He pulled his knees to his chest, and he was able to feel his ribs press against the flesh of his legs. “Um… there’s a lot I wanna do.”

He paused.

“Like what?” Saeyoung asked patiently.

“Like… I wanna go to that ice cream parlor you go to sometimes.” Saeran said slowly, remembering the times his brother had managed to sneak some ice cream to him. “They make really, really tasty ice cream there, and I wanna try all of the flavors they have… so we’re gonna need to bring big bowls with us, right?”

 Saeyoung laughed, his childish voice ringing through the room.

“That’d be fun! I wanna do that too.” He said.

Saeran smiled shyly. He pictured the ice cream sundae he would share with Saeyoung, the large bowl overflowing with ice cream and toppings. He imagined how they would eagerly devour their treat, giggling and chatting happily as they filled their empty bellies with as much food as possible, no longer having to worry about their mother coming by and beating them.

Saeran’s smile grew.

“What do you wanna do, Saeyoung?” He asked.

“Hmmm…” Saeyoung swung his legs as he pondered Saeran’s question. “I think… I wanna show you the stars.”

“The stars?” Saeran asked.

Saeran knew what stars were; at night, if he was too scared or sick to fall asleep, he would look at them through his tiny, dirty window, twinkling in the night sky. They were already beautiful to Saeran, but if Saeyoung had taught him anything, it was that everything in the outside world was so much better when it was experienced in person.

“Yeah!” Saeyoung nodded, grinning. “I’m gonna take you out to a big field, with a blanket and picnic basket and everything! Then we’re gonna look at the sky, and I’ll tell you all about the constellations and stuff there—we can even sleep outside, if you want! It’ll be awesome!”

Saeran giggled at his brother’s energy, but he had to admit that he was getting excited as well.

“I can’t wait, Saeyoung!” He replied.

* * *

 

“Saeran, do you have your eyes closed~?”

“For the fifth time, Saeyoung, _yes._ Christ, if you wanted to keep this a surprise, you should’ve used a blindfold or some shit.”

Despite his words, Saeran wasn’t _that_ annoyed; it was hard for him to feel angry when his brother’s hand was in his own, guiding him through the park. Saeyoung had claimed that he wanted to show Saeran something “super awesome,” and Saeran was bored enough (or curious enough) to accept. From what he’d been able to gather from a mysteriously tight-lipped Saeyoung, they were going to have a picnic at the park; Saeran had pointed out that it was getting dark, but Saeyoung claimed that nighttime was the ideal time to have a picnic.

His excuse sounded like bullshit to Saeran, but he’d let it slide. Saeyoung had done weirder things, after all.

Finally, after two hours (actually ten minutes), Saeyoung stopped walking, and Saeran bumped into his back. Saeran was about to snap at his brother before he was interrupted.

“Okay, Saeran, we’re here. Just give me a few seconds to set up, alright? No peeking~!”

If it was possible to roll your eyes while having them closed, Saeran would’ve done so. Still, he didn’t want to deal with Saeyoung’s whining, so he obeyed (and no, it had nothing to do with how excited and eager Saeyoung sounded. Not at all).

After a few more minutes, Saeyoung spoke up.

“‘Kay, you can open your eyes now!” His voice sounded just as cheerful as it usually was, but Saeran detected a hint of nervousness lacing his tone.

Saeran opened his eyes. Just as he was about to make a snarky comment, his gaze landed on something that made him freeze in shock.

They were standing in the middle of a grassy field, but that wasn’t what caught Saeran’s attention. No, what he noticed was the blanket lying on the grass in front of him, with a picnic basket keeping it in place.

Memories rushed back to Saeran, and he quickly glanced up to confirm his suspicion.

Sure enough, he was greeted by the sparkling stars that decorated the night sky. There weren’t that many stars out yet—it was still too early for that—but they were _there,_ twinkling and dancing like glitter on an inky-black fabric.

Saeran’s breath hitched.

“Y-you remembered?” He asked, cursing how his voice shook.

An arm wrapped itself around Saeran’s shoulders, and he allowed Saeyoung to pull him closer.

“Of course,” Saeyoung said, his smile gentler than the one he usually wore. “I promised, right? Sorry that there isn’t any ice cream, though—I wanted to bring some, but most of it probably would’ve—”

Saeran’s lips met Saeyoung’s, effectively cutting him off. After a few seconds, Saeran pulled back, rubbing his eyes with his sweater sleeve.

“Dumbass.” Saeran mumbled, though the smile on his face gave away what he truly felt. “It’s perfect just the way it is.”


	4. Free Day: Roleswap AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this is SUPER late, and I want to apologize for that--I got distracted by some other fics, and I neglected to update this one. Still, I promised I'd publish one more chapter for Choicest week, and I felt bad about not following up on that, so.... here it is!  
> This is based on the prompt "free day," so I decided to do a roleswap AU. In this AU, Saeyoung was recruited into Mint Eye under the promise that MC (who takes on Rika's role) would rescue Saeran from their mother, but, well... yeaaaaah, she totally screws him over.  
> Also, I know that V's the most obvious choice to swap roles with Rika, but... I love the dude too much. I can't make him evil. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME.

When Saeyoung woke up, the first thing he noticed were the sterile white walls surrounding him.

The next thing he noticed was that his body hurt like a _motherfucker;_ it felt like someone repeatedly shoved a broom handle up his ass without lube, or like he'd been run over by at least ten cars during Sunday morning traffic. He shifted slightly, hissing when his body throbbed with the movement.  

He looked around, his vision still blurry from sleep. All he was able to see was white--white walls, white ceiling, white furniture and white floor tiles, the sea of vanilla only interrupted by the silver of sinks and carts. Saeyoung himself laid on a white bed, his usual black sweatshirt and jeans replaced by a paper gown.

 _What the hell?_ How'd he wind up in the hospital? The last thing he remembered was a gunshot... and... 

From the doorway, the thrum of hushed voices drifted past his ears. Deciding that eavesdropping would be a good distraction from his pain, he forced himself to focus on the conversation.

"... Immune system's shot to shit, 'cause of all the crap that bitch put in his body. The doctors pumped out as much as they could, but he's been taking those drugs for years--there's still some lingering in his bloodstream. His mental state isn't too great, just in case you couldn't tell from the bullet hole he punched through Han--"

Oooooh. _Now_ Saeyoung remembered what happened. His precious, darling twin and his friend had busted into Mint Eye, accompanied by that pretty-boy secret agent and that lying, stuck-up, _arrogant_ son of a bitch who took his Saeran away. He remembered how furious Mother had been, how she had screamed and hurled insults at Saeran and Han... and he remembered how he'd just...

_Snapped._

He tried to speak, but found that his mouth was too dry.

"I-I'm so sorry, Saeran." Another voice said. It was different from the first voice--deeper, but as soft as tissue paper. "Is there anything you need me to do? Anything at all? I can try to contact some therapists..."

"I'm not some goddamn charity case, V." The first voice snapped. Saeyoung recognized who it belonged to, and he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

_Saeran..._

"It's not charity, Saeran." The other voice sounded tired. "It's human decency."

Saeran snorted. "Yeah. I bet that's what Han said when he left Saeyoung in that madhouse to rot, right?"

There was a sigh, but the other voice didn't argue.

"How's Jumin, anyway?"

Saeyoung felt a familiar, comforting spark of rage from hearing that ugly name spoken by his brother's sweet lips.

"He's..." The voice paused. "He'll live."

"Too bad." Saeyoung finally spoke up. It felt like he swallowed an entire bag of sandpaper, and he was pretty sure his voice reflected that. "Should've shot that bastard in the head."

There was a pause, followed by shuffling footsteps. A teal-haired man poked his head through the doorway, smiling weakly when he saw the redhead lying on the bed.

"Hello, Saeyoung. How're you feeling?"

Saeyoung knew all about V, of course--the heir liked to act mysterious, but there was very little information that could hide from Saeyoung.

"Like I've been ass-fucked by an entire football team." Saeyoung was in too much pain to put on his 707 persona. That didn't mean he couldn't mess with V's head, though. "How's your mom? Still with the nice men in the white coats?"

The shocked expression on V's face was almost worth the glare Saeran sent his way. Almost.

"How did you..." V paused and shook his head. "Never mind. Is there anything I can do for you, Saeyoung?"

"Yeah. I want you to pour a nice, tall glass of go-fuck-yourself." Saeyoung laid back down, fixing his gaze on the ceiling above him. He didn't want to deal with V's poking and prodding. "Also, tell Han to go suck a cock."

There was a sigh from the heir, followed by some incomprehensible mumbling--probably telling Saeran some other useless lie. Saeyoung's heart twisted at that thought. How _dare_ the MFA continue lying to his sweet, naive little Saeran...

The sound of footsteps approaching his bed interrupted Saeyoung's inner rant, followed by someone sitting down on a nearby folding chair. At first, Saeyoung refused to turn his head, certain that he'd be greeted by V; however, the all-too familiar sniffles suggested otherwise.

"Dammit, Saeyoung..." The person mumbled. "Why'd you have to be so... so..."

The person trailed off, and Saeyoung finally turned towards him.

His brother certainly wasn't the small, sickly-looking boy Saeyoung remembered him to be. He had to be at least as tall as Saeyoung himself, though he hadn't lost the slim, bony frame that made him look so fragile in the first place. His feet were encased in scuffed black sneakers, which led up to the tight black jeans adorning his legs. A red pair of headphones hung around his slender neck, matching nicely with the red tank-top peeking out from underneath the baggy yellow sweater he wore. His hair, which used to be as red as Saeyoung's own hair, was bleached white, though the tips were still pink--it was almost as if he couldn't truly bring himself to destroy something he shared with his brother, though that was probably wishful thinking on Saeyoung's part. His golden eyes held none of the wonder and innocence he had during their childhood, replaced with a jaded cynicism that Saeyoung often saw in his own mint-green eyes.

Saeyoung recalled the day they had first met after years of separation. His initial goal had been to kidnap the girl that occupied Mother's old apartment, but he was far from displeased when his brother interrupted his plans. True, he had seen Saeran in photos and security cameras, but nothing quite compared to seeing him in the flesh--with Saeran in front of him, Saeyoung could prove to himself that he _had_ made the right decision so many years ago. 

_"What_ _the hell are you doing?!" Saeran yelled. He looked furious, but the crack in his voice suggested quite another story. "Who are you? Are you that damn hacker?!"_

_Saeyoung grinned, the expression lost underneath the black mask he wore. "Awww!" He cooed. "Little Saeran wants to help his friend? You haven't changed a bit, Sae!"_

_He'd only meant to tease his brother, but he hadn't expected the shriek of anger his words earned. Saeyoung was briefly puzzled, but it suddenly dawned on him that, oh yeah, those MFA morons didn't use Saeran's real name; to them, he was their friendly neighborhood hacker..._

_"Unknown_ _!_ _" The blonde girl in Saeyoung's arms cried out. She tried to elbow Saeyoung in the gut, but her efforts were only rewarded with a headlock._

 _"_ _No, no, honey!" Saeyoung chuckled, ignoring his brother's cry of "Get off her!" "His name's_ Saeran _. Say it with me, now--Saeeeeerannnnnn--"_

 _"SHUT UP!_ " _Saeran shrieked. "How did--how'd you figure that out, you goddamn...!"_

_Saeyoung's smile faded. The sweet feeling of joy was still present, but it was being infringed upon by something more... bitter, something stemming from years of longing for his better half to make him whole again._

_"_ _You don't recognize me, huh?" Saeyoung asked. Reaching for his mask with one hand was somewhat difficult, thanks to the brat he was trying to contain, but he finally managed to pinch the cloth between two of his fingers. "Well, it_ has _been a while...maybe this'll jog some memories..."_

_He swiftly tugged the mask down, revealing his face to his twin. Saeran sputtered at what he saw, stepping back in shock._

_"S_ _-S-Sae...young? Saeyoung?!"_

 _"_ _Like looking into a mirror, huh?" Saeyoung chuckled. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, and he blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. "Hey... y-you look great, Saeran. Growing up behind my back, bro?"_

"Saeyoung! Say something, goddammit!"

Saeyoung blinked slowly. Lifting his head up slightly, he saw his brother's beautiful golden eyes welling up with tears.

"H-hey..." Saeyoung weakly croaked, his hand creeping towards Saeran. "Don't worry, Sae... I'm fi--"

"No, you're _not!"_ Saeran snapped, his voice becoming higher in pitch. "That bitch drugged you for _years,_ Saeyoung!  _YEARS!_ Do you know how long that was?!"

"I'm sorry." It felt like Saeyoung was defending himself for the hundredth time, but if it made Saeran happy, he'd say it a hundred times more. "I didn't wanna leave you, I swear. I wanted to take you with me, but Mother promised that she'd do it--"

 _"Shut up!"_   Saeran rubbed at his eyes, smearing his tears across his cheeks. "Saeyoung, you idiot, _nothing_ is worth that! _I'm_ not worth it! Back at those headquarters, you... you were _insane!_ Y-you wanted to _kill_ us--!"

"No, I didn't!" Saeyoung's own voice rose. "I wanted to _protect_ you, Saeran--!"

"By killing everyone in the MFA!"

"Because they took you away from me! We could've been happy if that fucking rich kid didn't drag you off to God-knows-where--!"

"SAEYOUNG!" Saeran gripped his shoulders, his eyes wild. "Listen to yourself, for fuck's sake! You saw those doctor's reports, didn't you?! I would've _died_ if he hadn't gotten me out of there!"

He had seen those documents--Saeran had brought them with him the first time he and that little blonde girl broke into Mint Eye, and its contents had made Saeyoung want to hurl.

_Bound to the kitchen table for days... severely malnourished and dehydrated... covered in bruises and open wounds, many of which were infected... running a high fever... found by Jumin Han..._

No, no, no! They couldn't be real! If they were real, then everything Saeyoung went through... everything he'd done... was _meaningless!_

"THOSE WERE FORGED!" Saeyoung snarled, baring his teeth. Saeran snatched his hands away, eyes wide with alarm. "They brainwashed you, Sae! Mother sent you to a boarding school, and Han kidnapped you and wiped your memories! He forged those goddamn documents to make you think that--!"

"AT LEAST HE GAVE A FUCK ABOUT ME!"

"WELL, SO DID I! WHY'D YOU THINK I WANTED TO BRING YOU TO MAGENTA?!"

At those words, it seemed like something in Saeran... snapped. Burying his face into his hands, he hunched over and burst into tears, his skinny shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs.

"Y-you..." Saeran gulped, stumbling for the proper words. "... I thought you _abandoned_ me, you son of a bitch!" Despite his words, there wasn't any malice in Saeran's tone--only sorrow and guilt. "I was such a fucking idiot... I shouldn't have believed Han and MC when they gave me that bullshit about you disappearing from the face of the earth... I-I should've kept looking for you! I should've... fuck, I dunno!" He clawed at his hair, gritting his teeth. "I should've done _something!_ Then you wouldn't be like... like..." Saeran gestured helplessly at Saeyoung, who was trying to fight back his own tears. "... _This!"_

More tears flowed from Saeran's eyes. Shakingly, Saeyoung rubbed his twin's tears away with his thumb, slightly surprised that Saeran didn't try to slap his hand away.

At that moment, it felt like they were just kids again--two poor, fucked-up kids growing up in a shitty world, relying on each other for love and comfort. Everything Saeyoung did, from accepting Mother's offer to targeting the MFA, had been for his brother... even now, Saeyoung would do anything for Saeran. He would kill anyone if it meant that Saeran was happy and safe.

Saeyoung used to think that Magenta held the answers to eternal happiness and safety, that it would provide a perfect paradise for his sickly, innocent twin brother; he still believed that, in a way. Perhaps one day, he could look into continuing Mother's--no, _MC's--_ work (though this time, he'll leave the MFA alone. Maybe. It'll probably depend on whether they still piss him off). Or maybe he'd scrap the plans for Magenta entirely and focus on creating a brand-new paradise, one for just him and Saeran (and maybe he'd let that blonde girl visit Saeran. What was her name again? Rika something or another, right?).

Saeyoung just knew that, with his better half by his side, he could do anything.


End file.
